How Dr. Carter Woodson's stay at the Bronzeville YMCA sparked what eventually became Black History Month
One man's stay at a YMCA in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood would eventually lead to the creation of Black History Month. Here's how.
While in Chicago for the Lincoln Jubilee commemorating the 50th anniversary of emancipation from slavery, Dr. Carter G. Woodson stayed at the YMCA at 37th and Wabash that was founded through the efforts of more than 10,000 Black residents and businesses.
He was so inspired by the displays of Black history he saw there, he commissioned a gathering of four colleagues, including surgeon and activist George Cleveland Hall. By the time that gathering was over, they had established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to preserve and elevate Black history.
In 1916, the organization launched the Journal of Negro History, the first scholarly journal dedicated to Black historical research.
But Woodson wasn't done. By 196, his organization launched Negro History Week. Over time, Negro History Week morphed into Black History Month.
Woodson returned that year to Chicago to announce the new celebration. By the 1940s, West Virginia turned Negro History Week into a month-long celebration. Chicago would follow suit under the leadership for Frederick Hammurabi in the 1960s.